Device for aiding workmen in decorating ceilings



July 21, 1942. scHm DEVICE FOR AI DING WORKMEN IN DECORATING CEILINGS Filed Aug. 9, 1940 .mllllllllllll V Patentd July 21, 1942 UNE'EFE STATES QFFlQ DEVICE FOR AEDING VORKMEN IN DECORATING CEILINGS 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a device designed to facilitate and expedite the work of decorating ceilings, whether by .papering, painting, calcimining or otherwise.

In papering the ceiling of a room, the paper sheets are usually cut to fit either the length or the Width of the ceiling, then coated with paste, and then applied to and smoothed out on the ceiling. This work usually requires the services of two paper-hangers, one of whom holds one end of the sheet, or strip at one end of the ceiling, while the other travels toward the other end of the ceiling holding the strip and applying and smoothing the same as he proceeds.

One object of the present invention has been to provide an appliance by which a ceiling can be papered by one man alone, with equal expedition. Another object has been to provide an aid for the workman in decorating the ceiling in the general nature of an upright bracket, which may be used to support a folded portion of a paper strip as the latter is drawn out and along the ceiling, or to support a bucket containing paint or calcimine so as to save the workman from the necessity of stooping low and then straightening up every time he dips his brush. More specific objects are to provide such a bracket which may be easily adjusted as to height, to accommodate taller or shorter workmen and varying heights of ceilings; to provide such a bracket well adapted to rest on a horizontal platform on which the workman stands while operating, and to be adjustable to various points along said platform; and to provide such a bracket that can be readily folded or collapsed to occupy but little space when not in use.

Still other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will be apparent to those familiar with the art of interior decoration from the following detailed description of an improved embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the floor and ceiling of a room, and a workman engaged in papering the ceiling with the aid of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of the bracket and means for clamping the same on the platform; the bracket being equipped on its upper end with a horizontal rod for supporting a roll or bundle of paper.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the collapsed bracket.

Fig. 4 is a detail, showing a pan for supporting a paint or calcimine bucket equipped on its bottom with a shank adapted to telescope into the upper end of the bracket upright.

Fig. .5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 4, showing a U-shaped bracket adapted to similarly interfit with the upper end of the upright bracket, for supporting a joist or bar from which buckets of paint or the like may be suspended.

Referring to Fig. 1, I9 designates each of a pair of duplicate step ladders disposed at opposite sides of the floor F and II designates an extension platform disposed between and at its ends supported on the ladders Ill. This platform I i will, in practice, be so engaged with the ladders as to accommodate the height of the workman standing thereon.

Describing now the improved bracket, this, in the form herein illustrated, comprises an upright consisting of a plurality of telescoping tubes, such as the lower tube l2, an intermediate tube i3, and an upper tube M. The tube I2 is spot-welded or otherwise mounted on a base I5. Hinged to the base 15 at it is a horizontal clamp ll, preferably of the A form shown in Fig. 3, adapted to lie crosswise of the platform I l, and terminating with the rearwardly bent hooks I8 adapted to grip the edge portion of the platform l l. The intermediate section 13 of the upright is adjustably secured to the lower section l2 by a collar [9 carrying a set screw 25!; and the top section M is similarly secured to the intermediate section l3 by a collar 2! carrying a set screw 22. By this construction, the total height of the upright may be considerably varied to suit conditions of the work.

The upright is maintained in a vertical position by a brace which consists of a rod 23 pived approximately parallel with each other so as to occupy but little space when not in use.

When using the device for applying paper to the ceiling, a horizontal rod 2! is mounted on the upper end of the upright by means of a rectangularly bent shank Z8 fitted into the top section 54 and. secured against side swing by a pin 29 entering a, longitudinal slot 33 (Fig. 3) in the upper section of the upright. This rod 21 takes the place of the extra man usually reouired for papering ceilings. The paper strip S having been past-ed is folded several times on itself, and the folded bundle lies across the rod 21. The workman grasps one end of the strip and moves it toward the remote end of the ceiling pressing it upwardly and smoothing it out on the ceiling as he then proceeds toward the other end. He may then grasp the other end of the strip and, walking along the platform, smooth the remainder of the strip out on the ceiling.

Fig. 4 illustrates an accessory that replaces the rod 21 when the ceiling is painted, calcimined, or washed. This consists of a pan 3| adapted to hold a bucket 32, and having secured to its bottom a depending shank 3| that telescopes into the upper end of the upright. Since the upright is adjustable as to height, the pan 3| may be set at a height most convenient for the decorator to dip his brush into the bucket 32.

Fig. 5 illustrates still another accessory that is preferably used when two or more workmen may be operating along the platform I I. In that case, two uprights are employed located respectively adjacent the ends of the platform, and into the upper end of each is fitted the shank 33 of a U-bracket 34. A bar or beam 35 rests at its ends in the two brackets 34, and from this bar may be suspended by hooks 36, at any convenient points along the bar 35, pails such as 31 containing the material to be applied to the ceiling.

I claim:

A foldable bracket for aiding a workman in applying a strip of wall paper to the ceiling of a room, comprising a flat base plate, an upright post rigidly mounted on said base plate and having a socket in its upper end, a horizontal rod formed on one end with a rectangularly bent tenon removably engaged with said socket, a clamp member horizontally hinged at one end to an edge of said base plate and formed on its other end with a rearwardly bent hook adapted to grip the edge of a bracket supportja clamp collar adjustable up and down on said post, and a brace rod pivotally connected at its upper end to said collar and at its lower end to said clamp member, whereby, when said foldable bracket is not in use, said clamp member and brace rod may be folded to positions close to and approximately parallel with said post; said'horizontal rod, when mounted on said post, serving as a support for a portion of said paper strip.

ALFRED RENSCHIN. 

